Read Online Alone With You by Shannon Stacey - Free Book Online Page A

mouth and, judging by the comments he’d overheard here and there over the course of the night, it would all be good.
    Karen kept the wait staff on their toes while keeping a perfect balance with the customers. Her natural warmth and friendliness was a draw, but she didn’t cross over into too casual and chummy with them. Every dish was coming through the window perfectly cooked to order, and there was nothing for him to do but soak it in.
    He spotted Darcy, who was acting as an unofficial hostess, coming toward him and smiled. She was wearing the same mulberry-colored Jasper’s Pub polo as the wait staff, which he thought was a lot nicer than the ones they wore at Jasper’s Bar & Grille.
    “It’s going even better than I’d hoped,” she said a little breathlessly, keeping her voice low.
    “And every single table has ordered at least one Jasper’s Big-Ass Steak.”
    She rolled her eyes. “I’ve not giving you a hundred dollars.”
    “I’m sure we can come to some other kind of arrangement.”
    “Stop it. We’re working.” But she gave him a look that assured him they’d come to terms. “I’m really proud of this place.”
    “You should be.” He hooked his pinky finger with hers, keeping their hands behind her hip to hide the contact from the dining room. “It was a lot of work and a lot of decision-making and you pulled it off.”
    “ We pulled it off.”
    He liked the sound of that. Hopefully that we would be long term. “I think we’ll be ready for Valentine’s Day.”
    They were running meal specials for couples, with packages that included dessert and a bottle of champagne. All the lodging establishments in the area had coupons on display, offering discounts at the pub. Kevin had launched an advertising blitz that ensured that practically every guy in New England who had a snowmobile knew Jasper’s Pub was the place to be on Valentine’s Day.
    There would be flowers and a few special treats not available on the regular menu. They’d considered having a live band, but not only was space an issue, but sometimes people felt awkward having conversations while a band was playing, and that wasn’t the atmosphere they were going for.
    He also had a diamond ring in his sock drawer. He’d bought it two days ago, when Darcy thought he’d had to go down to the city to handle a fictional problem with their liquor license.
    “I hope I’ll be able to get back for that,” Darcy said, snapping him out of his happy thoughts.
    “You have to come back. It’s what you’ve been working for.”
    “No, tonight’s what I was working for. Everything’s set. Everybody knows their jobs. From here on out, it’s you and Karen.”
    The glow dissipated and he stepped around her. “Come out back with me.”
    She followed him through the kitchen and into his office. He took a deep breath as he closed the door, trying to figure out what he needed to say not to ruin everything.
    “What’s the matter with you?”
    He turned to face her, leaning back against the door. “That’s not the first time you’ve made reference to maybe not being here for Valentine’s Day. I don’t get it. Why would you work so hard and then not be here with me?”
    “I have to go home. I’ve been gone over a month and I have a life there. I have a job and I have bills that need to be paid and plants to water. I have no idea how crazy it’s going to be.”
    “What about us?” He kept his voice low, but the words were a deafening shout in his head. “Is there going to be time for me anywhere in there?”
    He saw the temper rising in her face. “What is it you want from me? I’ve been here over a month and when I got home I’ll barely be unpacked before I have to leave everything again and come back. I’ll try. That’s all I can do.”
    It wasn’t enough. He straightened up and opened the door. “All right. Maybe I’ll see you then. Maybe not.”
    “What did you expect?”
    “I expected you to come spend Valentine’s